There has been a lot of readers asking about the basics of natural hair and this workshop will be dedicated to you. Attendees will be able to enjoy light snacks as well as a product swap. Not sure how it works? Bring all of the products that aren't working for you and swap them for someone else's goods! One's trash is someone else's treasure!

Remember the interview with Richelieu Dennis, CEO of Sundial Brands and A'Lelia Bundles, great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker I mentioned a couple of days ago on the new hair care line inspired by Madam CJ Walker? Well...it's here! I apologize for the delay. Last week was interesting...but that is a story for another post.I got a chance to catch up with both Rich and A'Lelia while they were in LA to talk about the new the Madam CJ Walker Beauty Culture hair care line. To learn even more about this line, click here.Hope you enjoy!

ClassyCurlies: When was the idea brought to the table to introduce a haircare line inspired by Madam CJ Walker?

Madam CJ Walker Beauty Culture

Dennis: This has been a journey of mine for about 10 years. We were able to make a deal about four years ago and we’ve taken our time to think about what the 21st century Madam CJ Walker Enterprises would look like as a business and what the product would look like and it's how we ended here. The idea didn’t just come up, it's evolved for us for over a decade.
When you think of Madam Walker and what she did, it was amazing but when you think of her business and what she created it's astounding. When you think about what she should mean to the beauty industry today, we have more work to do. She should be right up there with Estee Lauder, Coco Chanel and others who changed the beauty landscape.

What type of products can people look forward to? Are they made for all hair types?

Dennis: Yes. It’s a holistic line focused on the needs of today’s women. There are four hair collections. One is a coconut collection made for curly hair, Dreams Come True is made for scalp treatments, the Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection is about softening, and repairing the hair and the Brassica Seed & Shea Oils Collection, which is broccoli oil, is for styling and shine.

Is this brand directly produced by Sundial Brands or under its own entity?

Dennis: You can think of Sundial Brands as the parent company but it will be under Madam CJ Walker Enterprises and the haircare brand is Madame CJ Walker Beauty Culture. We really want to build under the entire legacy.

When the ideas were coming together initial, being the great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, what were your emotions like?

Bundles: I was glad we created this partnership because I’ve been researching and speaking about Madame CJ Walker for quite some time but the piece that was not fully formed was the haircare products being in the 21st century, so for me it was such a pleasure when Sundial inquired about Madam Walker’s name so they could launch it into something worth the legacy. We are both playing the roles we are best at. I’m good at telling the historical story and Sundial brands has already developed highly-successful haircare lines and it's an honor to have Madame CJ Walker among those brands. The packaging is gorgeous and the products smell great, which go with all types of hair.

We hear there is a philanthropic aspect of this new line.

Yes. In addition to just the products, I’m excited about the community commerce Sundial Brands does to make sure women on the African continent are getting fair wages and fair market value. That idea of philanthropy will find its way into the Madame CJ Walker Beauty Culture line. Its continuing her principle of not just making money, not just having great products but giving back to the community as well.

I wanted to share a press release with you all about the new haircare line developed by Sundial Brands, those who make Shea Moisture and Nubian Heritage. I got a chance to interview both the CEO of Sundial Brands, Richelieu Dennis and A'Lelia Bundles, great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker and will have an exclusive interview for you all tomorrow.

But for now, here is the press release:

Sundial Brands, a leading skincare and haircare manufacturer renowned for its innovative use of high-quality, culturally authentic natural ingredients, today announced the company’s first prestige haircare launch – Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture. Building on the life, legacy and impact of the ground-breaking Madam C.J. Walker – visionary entrepreneur, philanthropist and America’s first female self-made millionaire – the four-collection, 25 SKU line launches exclusively in Sephora stores and on Sephora.com on March 4, 2016.
Serving today’s woman according to her specific hair texture needs, Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture’s product solutions contain all new formulations created with the highest quality natural ingredients – including first-to-market dual oil encapsulations – and performance-driven innovation to inspire every woman to be unapologetic in the expression of her individual beauty – whether kinky, coily, curly, wavy, or straight/heat-styled. The treatment collection is designed for all hair types to help restore and maintain health.
The line consists of four collections that address the cleansing, treatment and styling needs of all hair textures. These include three styling collections formulated with six multi-tasking oils that help nourish, condition, detangle and seal in moisture – Brassica Seed & Shea Oils Collection (Smoothing/Style-Extending), Coconut & Moringa Oils Collection (Frizz Fighting/Humidity- Blocking) and Jamaican Black Castor & Murumuru Oils Collection (Curl-Defining/Moisture- Sealing) – and one treatment collection – Dream Come True Collection (Scalp & Strand Nourishing). The styling collections feature the lead oil as an individual SKU, with each antioxidant-packed, lightweight oil providing different benefits: Brassica Oil to smooth & silken, Coconut Oil to nourish & moisturize, and Jamaican Black Castor Oil to nourish & restore. Each can be used for treatment and conditioning boosts and refreshes in between full washes, as well as blended for more personalization according to hair needs.

Today was a wash and trim day. I realized a while ago late last year my hair hasn't been trimmed since my last flat iron in April. I've done a little snipping here and there but nothing serious. I've been meaning to get to it, but always forgot until my hair was already styled.

My last style, the flexi rod set, lasted almost an entire week, which I found unbelievable! (To find out how I achieved this style, click here). I wore it all week, up until Sunday. It got a little frizzy but it didn't look bad.

Flexi Rod Set

For my wash and trim I began by pulling out the products and tools I knew I would need:

WASH | CONDITION

I began by misting my hair with water then applying a generous amount of TRESemme Naturals Conditioner to my hair. This began the detangling process. After letting that sit on my hair for about 10 minutes I then divided my hair into two sections and hopped in the shower.

One section at a time I rinsed out the conditioner and under the water stream, began to detangle just a little. I then shampooed and conditioned each side. After doing my normal shower duties, I quickly rinsed the conditioner from each side while finger detangling and finally creating one two-strand twist before clipping the section up.

The washing process took maybe 10 minutes.

TRIM | STYLE

To trim I worked in medium-sized sections, applied my styler and detangled using a paddle brush from ends to root. At this point, my hair was almost free of all tangles and the brush just served as a back up.

I then two-strand twisted each section and at the end of each twist, I trimmed off 1/2 to 1 inch of hair depending on each appearance and feel. The key to this is again, to make sure your hair is thoroughly detangled before twisting.

I applied coconut oil to each twist to seal in the moisture, bobby pinned the twists around my head to keep them stretched, then allowed them to air dry for a twistout.

I wanted to share a new (well new to me) website that I found and I think it's amazing! I wish I would've discovered it years ago! While browsing Groupon, as I usually do at least once a day (I'm a little obsessed), I found a deal for LuckyVitamin.com.

If you're into all natural hair and body products, this is the store for you. My soul seriously did a couple of flips once I saw what type of products they offered. Think of it as a virtual store where you can buy a variety of brands.

Some of the big brands I noticed were:

JASON Natural Products

Avalon Organics

Derma-E

Giovanni

and lots more!

With a listing like that, you can clearly tell they sell more than vitamins. I mostly shopped in the "Personal Car & Beauty" department. You can find foods, herbal supplements, candles, pet products, baby products, water purifiers...you name it.

My Groupon gave me 50 percent off my items so I was like a kid in a candy store. I bought a variety of items including the one's you see in the photo. I also bought some organic feminine hygiene products and organic Apple Cider Vinegar as well.

The brands I bought are usually super expensive in your average store like Target so even without the coupon I thought the prices were practically illegal lol.

The shipping was quick, the packaging was nice and there is an option to automatically ship new products to your home if you'd like.

What I really like about the site is its mission. It started with one family who dedicates their lives to wellness. They seek foods that are organic, 100 percent natural and free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats. They also look for skin and beauty products that are paraben, sulfate and toxin free. Their aim to source products containing no chemicals, synthetic/artificial dyes, colors or fragrances.All things I love!If you're interested in shopping, check to see if the Groupon code is available.**Note: This is not a sponsored post. I was not paid by Lucky Vitamin or any of the brands mentioned to write this post. I genuinely love the site**

I'm so excited to let you all know I will be on IndyStyle tomorrow morning! If you're not in the Indianapolis area, IndyStyle is the city's live, all-local and lifestyle talkshow. The show airs live daily at 9 a.m. Monday-Friday.

Tomorrow I will be speaking about the natural hair community, Indy's ClassyCurlies and some of my favorite hair products for naturally curly hair.

If you're in the city, please support the show by tuning into channel 8 (WISH-TV). If you're not in the city, I will post the video soon.

I just wanted to stop by to show you all some of the new goodies I purchased on my natural hair product haul. I haven't been to the beauty supply store in forever and I had to make myself leave before my bank account drained lol.

I picked up more flexi rods because the one's I currently have are too small for my length of hair. I purchased the red, blue and orange ones when I first did my big chop over five years ago and today...they aren't cutting it!

In my previous post I mentioned the day before I went to the beauty supply store, which I haven't been to in what seems like ages. I picked up some items and had to make myself leave so I wouldn't go broke.

Here was my wash day process:

DEEP CONDITIONING

My hair was very, very dry from wearing this style all week, so I split my hair into four sections, sprayed my hair with some water and applied TRESemme Naturals Conditioner generously to each section. I then created buns in each section.

This was the quickest roller set I've ever done and it could be since the rollers were bigger, the sections were also larger. Working in each section, I used about four rollers per section. I used Lotta Body Mousse Wrap to style. Overall this took about 30 minutes.

I did not use heat, instead I let my hair air dry for about five hours before going to bed with the rollers in.

Here were my results:

Before separating the curls

I thought the results were fabulous! To top it all off, it only took 30 minutes to install the rods.

The downside...I forgot how uncomfortable these things were to sleep in. It could have been worse as I actually did get good sleep, but it took a lot of adjusting to get to that point. I couldn't wait to get the rollers out this morning.

Should I order my natural hair or curly hair products online or shop in store?

I find often people ask about some of my favorite natural hair products and when I tell them I purchased them online, their face turns up and they say, “Who has time to wait? I want my stuff now.” While that’s fine, some of you all are really missing out on these online products.

This post is to break it down for you. Tell you the pros and cons of shopping in-store and online for products, with a bonus of other places to find your favorite products in stores for cheap.

Shopping in-store

Pros:

-You can physically see the product, touch it and smell it.

-You can tell if the item is popular by how much space the store has dedicated to the brand and how many of a particular item is left.

-You can ask store employees or other shoppers in the same area about a particular product

-The product goes home with you that day

-The product may be within a reasonable distance of your home

-If you are unhappy with the item, you can return it immediately

-There are too many items on the shelves to choose from (also a con)

Cons:

-Your item of choice may be out of stock

-Your desired brand is not sold in a specific store

-Some retailers charge different prices for the same item

-There are too many items on the shelves to choose from

-Dealing with unprofessional employees and rude customers

-Some great small business brands are only available online

Shopping online

Pros:

-Chances are you know what brand you desire –because you’re on their website

-Many new/loyal customers may receive an extra discount for signing up for the company’s email list

-Discounts happen very often

-If shopping on a site with a variety of brands, you can filter out those you aren’t interested in

-Many brands charge a shipping fee to return the product if you aren’t happy with it

Where can I find that deal?

Here are some out-of-the-box places you wouldn’t think to find hair care products. Here’s three of my favorite:

-T.J.-Maxx, Marshalls: If you’ve only been shopping in the clothing section of these stores, you are truly missing out! In the beauty section is where you will find name brand products for cheap.

-LuckyVitamin.com: I haven’t ordered from them yet, but it is on my list to within the next few weeks. They have everything! Everything! (hair gels, stylers, conditioners, you name it). Many of their products are contain all-natural ingredients as well. (and they’re very,very discounted)

-Grocery stores: I will say I think most grocery stores overprice hair and beauty items because they know its convenient for the shopper to purchase them as they are buying food, but sometimes you can find very good deals on clearance.

When I was a kid, I had a few Barbie dolls to entertain me, but I later learned the reason why I wasn't surrounded by dozens of them – my mother wasn't a fan of the brand. She later told me Barbie wasn't diverse enough and as I got older, I agreed with her.

I was so excited some days ago when Mattel, the company that produces Barbie, announced they would debut a line of "diverse dolls" that are tall, curvy and petite and range in a variety of skin tones, ethnic groups and hair textures. Since I don't keep up with this brand as much now days as I am an adult, when I caught whiff of this...I got excited because what this stands for is very significant.

I wish there was a variety of Barbies I could play with that actually looked like me when I was a kid. The toys children play with is very important, especially these dolls as they are supposed to mimic real human beings. Not only do these dolls show diversity in skin tone, I love their new body shapes. Barbies will now depict real women who have a variety of shapes, which hopefully will cut down on the amount of girls (who later will grow up to become women) who feel uncomfortable in their own skin because they don't look a "specific" way.

I was even more ecstatic once I seen the dolls. I loved the variety, especially the ones that favor Black women and other minority groups:

(Photos/Mattel)

I was even more excited to see the doll at the very top of this post. Look at her hair! It's tightly coiled and gorgeous! Finally, it seems as if somebody is getting it. To me, this says: "It's OK to be who you are."

What do you think of the new dolls? I'm definitely buying a couple for my friend's kids.

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